Prep football notebook

Rick Scoppe and Chris Miller - JDNsports@JDNews.com

Monday

Oct 19, 2015 at 1:00 PMOct 19, 2015 at 1:11 PM

Northside and Croatan went back in time Friday night.

At times, both offensives lined up in a power-I and ran the ball. No spreading it out, not funky offensive schemes that are the flavor of the week, month or year. This was football like it was once played and like it will be played again – or so says Northside coach Bob Eason.

“We ain’t scared of the power-I. I tell you everybody’s going to come back (to it) eventually, mark my words,” Eason said with a laugh. “Everybody’s coming back my way.”

On this night, Northside and Croatan ran 101 plays. Of those, 84 were runs. The teams combined to rush for 379 yards while passing for just 71 yards. Both coaches like what they saw from their offenses, especially Eason.

“We were a little more fluid on offense,” he said, “(and) I think a little more direct at times than we have been. They turned it up a notch.”

Assistants earn their keep

Eason ladled out the praise on his assistants after Northside’s win.

Offensive coordinator Kendrick Pollack had a good game plan, and offensive line coach John Knowles “did a good job of having the O-line ready,” which cleared the way for the offense. And he also liked the work Dustin Johns and Jeff Cobb did last week with the defensive backs, who picked off two passes.

“Coach Johns and coach Cobb did a great job having the DBs ready,” Eason said. “You can’t ask for better coverage. They were right there on the spot every time.”

And he didn’t leave out the players.

“The kids did a good job, proud of them,” he said.

Responding Cardinals

Jacksonville’s lead was never threatened Friday night in a 49-22 home win over White Oak.

That’s because every time the Vikings appeared to have gained momentum with a touchdown, the Cardinals were quick to regain the edge with a quick scoring possession.

“The offense did a great job,” he said. “Every time the defense screwed up, the offense bailed us out tonight and that was nice to have. You have to fight on every play and forget about the last play and move on.”

Vikings can’t finish

White Oak had seven possessions inside Jacksonville territory but could only take advantage three times with touchdowns, including one in the final two minutes with the outcome already decided.

And while the Vikings have themselves to blame for some of those missed chances, the Cardinals’ defense came through several times when they needed a stop.

“We stepped up and made plays when we needed to,” Williams said.

Thinking outside the box

Normally a straight-up triple-option team, the Vikings were less conventional against the Cardinals, attempting a double reverse on the game’s first play from scrimmage and trying a pair of halfback passes.

Not to mention letting quarterback Morton Roop air it out 16 times. He completed nine for 140 yards, with Mike Evans reeling in four catches for 65 yards.

“Sometimes plays develop and you try to take advantage of them,” White Oak coach Eric Leary said. “You see something that maybe gives you a shot to score. There were several things we tried to do in the game that were planned and some things we did just to try to make a play.”

Thoughts on his teammates

Jacksonville quarterback Jaicari Boone was asked his thoughts on teammates Chris Coleman and Montrell Pollock, both of whom complemented their signal-caller in the big play department.

Coleman had four catches for 93 yards and a touchdown while Pollock stripped a WOHS ball carrier and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown to give the Cardinals a 14-0 lead. Pollock also scored on a 4-yard touchdown run.

“I wanted to see Chris make some plays and they were plays we needed,” Boone said. “He had a few steps on the corner.”

And as far as Pollock’s defensive score?

“I didn’t expect him to strip the ball, but it came out,” Boone said. “I thought he was going to get caught, but he wasn’t.”

Going for it

Croatan faced fourth-and-1 at its 34 midway through the first quarter and went for it. Junior running back Sam Nay, who rushed for 135 yards on 32 carries, picked up 3 yards and the first down. The drive, however, fizzled and on fourth-and-11 at the Croatan 47, the Cougars punted.

Croatan gambled again midway through the second quarter, facing fourth-and-6 at its 47. This time Nay was stopped for a 1-yard gain. Northside, however, was held to a three-and-out and launched a punt of just 7 yards to the Croatan 46.

It’s not so much that Croatan coach David Perry is a gambler. He just figures the odds are in his favor even in his own territory with Nay and fellow running back Ethan Bridges behind a big, veteran offensive line.

“We had confidence we could get 1 yard,” he said. “We decided a long time ago on our 30 and on, if it’s fourth-and-1 or -2, we’re just going to go for it.

Southwest coming to town

Croatan (6-2, 1-1 in the ECC) will try to rebound this Friday night when it plays host to Southwest (3-5, 0-2) on senior night. The Cougars, who are now 1-16 against Northside, have never beaten the Stallions in 12 games since Croatan opened in 1999.

The teams didn’t play from 2009 through 2012 because they were in different conferences. Southwest won last year 21-0.

“Big game,” Perry said. “Regardless of Southwest not having quite as good a year, they’re still a good program and got great coaches and they’re going to come to win, I’m sure.”

But you can bet Croatan will be as well.

“When you’ve get teams that have great programs like Southwest and Northside, getting a win against them is always a goal,” Perry said. “That kind of shows that you’re at that level.”

Odd night

Croatan managed just six points against Northside even though the Cougars ran 21 more plays (61 to 40) than Northside and had at least one first down on every possession but two, one of which came on their final possession of the first half with just 11.7 seconds left.

“I don’t know that they dominated us,” Perry said. “We made plays. We’d be driving 20, 30 yarsd and then they’d make a big play in the backfield and that would take us out of our rhythm. We moved the ball, just not like we’ve been moving it.”

Big-time player in the making

Maurice McIntyre is just a sophomore, but he’s a big sophomore at 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds. Up front, he plays tackle on defense and guard on offense. Against Croatan, he had two stops behind the line in the Cougars’ first two series – both against 1,000-yard rusher Sam Nay.

“He’s a DI guy,” Eason said. “We don’t ask him to play a ton of defense. So when he goes in there, he does make an impact.”

Hurricanes hit

Heading into Friday night, Pamlico had won just two games this season – and both came against area teams.

The 1-A Hurricanes opened the season by winning at 2-A Croatan 23-8 and four weeks later downed 3-A Swansboro 39-21 in the rain. Since then, however, the Hurricanes had been beaten by 8, 54, 18 and 19 points before picking up their third win, a 21-16 victory over Northside-Pinetown on Friday night.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.